Rain, Rain, Go Away
Anticipation of the Nor’easter which began yesterday morning gave us uneasy flashbacks to the biblical floods of October 2005. A month after moving into our newly renovated house, we learned the hard way that the original waste line (which was made of out clay pipe back in the day) had basically disintegrated. When the pounding…
Anticipation of the Nor’easter which began yesterday morning gave us uneasy flashbacks to the biblical floods of October 2005. A month after moving into our newly renovated house, we learned the hard way that the original waste line (which was made of out clay pipe back in the day) had basically disintegrated. When the pounding rains came that fall, the rain collected on the roof, ran down the drain pipe (which fed into the waste line, we learned) and smacked into the pile of earth that our century-old pipe had become. With no place else to go, the water surged up to the first point of release–the tenant’s tub and toilet. We ended up having two episodes of major flooding in the apartment. Amazingly, there was only a couple of thousand dollars of damage and the parquet floors emerged unwarped. Still, to say it was a traumatic experience would be an understatement.
So we felt some sympathy for the poor Park Sloper whose clogged drain pipe (above) caused his basement to flood. There have also been some three posts (count ’em one, two, three) on the Forum so far; if you have any experience in these matters, please take a moment to lend your advice. We’d also be interested in hearing other stories of rain damage from the last 24 hours. Watcha got?
The Great Flood of Aught Seven [Flickr]
two commercial tenants, both have a torrent of rain coming down through the roof. should i attempt to patch the roof, or find a way to divert the water flow?
Same issues, mini-stream of water pouring into the cellar from the backyard hatch and hatch walls. Ran a utility pump ($70 at Lowes) with 25-feet of hose and drained it into cellar sink. Also had to open the U-line cover of the “house drain” at the front of the house to allow wall leakage to drain away. Wasn’t that bad, a few inches but only in a 5-foot area near back cellar hatch.
Here’s my question: can anyone describe a “waterproofing” job for a cellar wall? I know it has to be done from the outside. Cost? Time?
My house is on the end of the row so one wall is a party wall, the either is the “Avenue” house’s back yard. So I assume you need permission from your neighbor to dig a trench in their yard for the waterproofing for a sidewall, yes?
The party and front/rear walls never leaks, just the “open” one on the other side.
We were still leaking as of this morning, probably still going on. It’s been more than a trickle, less than a rivulet. Let’s just say the equal of gallons and gallons and gallons of water over the last day. Wee.
Similar to Petunia’s post at 11:18 above, seepage. Is this just an uncommon mix of massive rains, watertable issues, and minor issues with foundations that become major issues during peak storms?
Either that or we have a crack in the storm drain that starts in our back patio and goes down and through the basement.
We’ve had minor leakage before from massive storms, but this was just insane. Constant. Water torture.
Times like this and stories like this, I am glad I rent..
I heard some sort of loud, collapsing sound in the middle of the night. This morning, we found that the ceiling in a closet had collapsed, sending down at least a hundred pounds of wet debris onto the closet floor. Looking up, we realized that the closet actually had been part of the chimney on the second floor for what must have been the wood burning stove in the first floor kitchen. With the ceiling gone (someone once simply placed drywall in the space), it’s a straight view up, brick on all sides (which is lucky — the water leak was contained within the brick). Maybe a chimney cap is in order!
Yes, Petite Anon 11:39, thank you!
Excellent advice, oh petite Anon 11:39. Thanks.
There are some important things to think about regarding roofs, backyards, and basements.
1. Check your roof & skylight for leaks and repair immediately. Don’t wait.
2. Is the gutter clean and clear.
3. Is the leader securely connected to the gutter.
4. Where is the leader connected at the other end? It shouldn’t drain into the earth which can only absorb so much water. Water finds the path of least resistance into your house.
5. If you have a drain in the backyard…which you really should have…make sure that it’s free of leaves, garden debris, dirt, soil. Clean it out at least twice a year with a snake and a power nozzle on your garden hose to flush it out. I do this myself, and I’m a 5’2″ woman.
6. Are your cellar hatch doors properly covered or leak-proof so that water won’t come cascading into your cellar.
7. Have a sump pump installed in your cellar. I have one and, fortunately, have had to use it only three times in 30 years.
8. Make sure your next-door neighbors don’t have water problems that will impact your property. If they do, and they refuse to resolve, then you’ve got a bigger problem.
9. Make sure your foundations are waterproofed from the outside.
10. Make sure grading is properly sloped away from the house.
I’m not a plumber but a long-time brownstoner in CG, so my suggestions come from personal experience. That’s all I can think of right now; if something else comes to me, I’ll post again. Hope this is helpful.
We have a drepressed area in the yard outside our bedroom door, which is about 5 inches deep and 20 feet by 5 feet. At 9 pm., no water had collected but by 10:30 it was full, the drain must have clogged, and the water started to come into the house. After 2 hours of bucketing water from that area all the water was removed. It was a close call, had we not been there, our bedroom would have flooded.